Carriage control device for bacon slicing machines



June 23, 1953 o. GARAPOLO 2,642,910

CARRIAGE CONTROL DEVICE FOR BACON SLICING MACHINES I Filed March 18 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 Sheet S-Sheet 2 O. GARAPOLO CARRIAGE CONTROL DEVICE FOR BACON SLICING MACHINES June 23, 1953 Filed March 18, 1952 June 23, 1953 0. GARAPOLO 2,642,910

CARRIAGE CONTROL DEVICE FOR BACON SLICING MACHINES Filed March 18, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 0. GARAPOLO June 23; 1953 CARRIAGE CONTROL DEVICE FOR BACON SLICING MACHINES Filed March 18, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 1m) v m/ J (Elia/ado far/(149050,

flaw/4&1; 0449M Patented June 23, 1953 CARRIAGE CONTROL DEVICE FOR BACON SLICING MACHINES Orlando Garapolo, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Wilson & (30., Inc., a corporation of Delaware I Application March 18, 1952, Serial No. 277,175

11' Claims.

This invention relates to a carriage control device for bacon slicing machines, and refers particularly to means for adjusting the travel of the bacon holding means to minimize lost motion.

The conventional manner of slicing bacon comprises placing a slab of bacon on a supporting table, engaging one end of the bacon with a movable carriage, and feeding the bacon towards the slicing blade by moving the carriage in the desired direction.

After the slab of bacon is completely sliced, the carriage is moved back to ing blade and the rearmost position of the carriage is fixed, and this distance must be great enough to accommodate the full length of the longest slab of bacon to be sliced. Accordingly, when short slabs of baconare sliced, considerable time is lost while the carriage is moving rearwardly far in excess of the distance required for the short slab, and again while the carriage is moving forwardly to bring the front end of the slab into engagement with the slicing blade.

In accordance with the present invention the bacon slicing machine is provided, with means that may be quickly and easily adjusted to regulate the travel distance of the movabl carriage so that when short slabs of bacon are being sliced the carriage moves only the distance required by the length of the bacon slab.

The carriage is provided with cam operated fingers for gripping the slab of bacon being sliced, and the present invention also contemplates means for adjusting the cam plate so that the fingers engage any'slab of bacon immediately after the start of the forward movement of the carriage regardless of the length of the slab.

The structure by which the above mentioned and other advantages of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing a preferred illustrative embodiment, in which:

Figure 1 is a top elevational View of a bacon slicing machine embodying the invention, with parts broken away to clarify the illustration;

' Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view; taken slicing machine, showing the movable carriage and its associated parts that are omitted from Fig- 1;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational' view of the bacon slicing machine from the side opposite the operator, with parts omitted to show the means for regulating the distance of travel of the carriage; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view, taken along the line 66 of Fig. 5, showing the adjusting means for limiting the rearward movement of the carriage.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates a base upon which upstanding end members 3 and 4 are mounted. These end members are provided respectively with bearings 5 and 5 in which opposite ends of a rotatable shaft '5 are mounted. A slicing blade 3 is mounted on one end of shaft 1 in conventional manner, and the other end of the shaft carries a pulley 9 which is rotated by a belt ill extending around the pulley and a driving shaft i! rotated by a motor [2. The motor 12 also operates a pump 13 which forces fluid through the hydraulic sysstem to control the reciprocatory movement of a carriage M, hereinafter described.

The slab of bacon It to be sliced is positioned on a receiving table IE which extends between end members 3 and 4 and includes an upstanding side plate I! the upper end of which is flanged, as indicated at It (Fig. 2),'to fit over a retaining bar is on which it is supported. The receiving table may be of any suitable material, but is preferably made of stainless steel for the sake of cleanliness.

The carriage l4 comprises a vertical plate at extending transversely of the receiving table 86 so that it may engage the rear end of the slab of bacon i5 and push it towards the slicing blade 8 as the carriage is moved forwardly. The carriage includes a horizontal plate 2! extending rearwardly of vertical plate 2!! and a U-shaped side wall 22 which extends over the retaining bar it. A flange 23 extends laterally from the outer portion of side wall 22 and is rigidly secured to a piston rod 24 by means of which the carriage is reciprocated. The outer portion of side wall 22 also has a sleeve portion 25 mounted on a guide rod 26. A pair of lugs 21, integral with sleeve 25, project into close proximity to opposite sides of a control rod 28. The guide rod '26 and control rod 28 each have their opposite ends secured to end members 3 and 4.

The forward end of control rod 28, adjacent end member 5, is threaded, as indicated at 29, and a fixed stop nut 3i} is secured thereto a short distance rearwardly of end member 6%. The other end of control rod 28 is provided with ratchetlike teeth, as indicated at 3|, and a collar 32 is slidably mounted thereon. A spring pressed pawl 33 extending laterally through an aperture 34 in one side of collar 32 engages the ratchet surface 3| to hold the collar in any adjusted position. The pawl 33 is mounted in a sleeve 35 threaded into a portion of aperture 34 counterbored for the purpose and threaded, as indicated at 35 (Fig. 6). The sleeve 35 is provided with an internal shoulder 31 adjacent its outer end, and the pawl 33 is provided with a shoulder 38. A spring 39, encircling a portion of pawl 33 has its opposite ends bearing against shoulders 37 and 38 to urge pawl 33 inwardly into engagement with ratchet teeth 3|. The shape of teeth 3| and the end of pawl 33 permits the collar 32 to be moved forwardly by pressure against the collar which will force the pawl outwardly against spring 39 as the inclined surface of the pawl rides over the inclined surface of teeth 3|. A pin 40 extending transversely through the outer end portion of pawl 33 provides convenient handle means for manually releasing the pawl from teeth 3| so that collar 32 may be moved rearwardly quickly.

The piston rod 24 is connected to a piston (not shown) mounted in a cylinder 4|. The di rection of movement of the piston and piston rod 25 is controlled by a rotary pilot valve 32. A bell crank or lever 43 pivoted to control rod 28, as indicated at 44 (Fig. 1), has its end 45 positioned to engage a projection, such as arms 46, secured to valve 42 so as to reverse the valve every time bell crank 43 is moved about pivot 44. Pivotal movement of the bell crank is caused by engagement of carriage M with either stop nut 35 or collar 32. The hydraulic system for moving the carriage is conventional, and will not be described in detail. It includes a two way valve 4'! controlled by a lever 48 to start and stop the flow of hydraulic fluid through the system, a flow control valve 49 which is adjusted to control the amount of flow so as to regulate the speed at which the carriage I4 is moved, and a four way valve controlled by a lever 5| to increase the speed of the rearward movement of the carriage.

The carriage I4 is provided with a plurality of gripping prongs 52 which project forwardly through apertures 53 in vertical plate 25 (Fig. 2). Prongs 52 are urged upwardly by spring means (not shown) so that the prongs are normally positioned behind plate 20. A cam arm 54, mounted on carriage I4 is connected by a shaft 55 to prongs 52 so as to move them forwardly through apertures 53 and downwardly into gripping engagement with the slab of bacon l5 when arm 54 is pivotally moved rearwardly. A cam plate 56 mounted on retaining bar I9 projects into the path of travel of arm 54 and moves it pivotally rearwardly as carriage l4 moves forwardly. Cam plate 55 is provided with a pair of longitudinal slots 51 through which screws 58 project to secure the cam plate to retaining bar l9. Slots 51 permit longitudinal adjustment of cam plate 56, and the plate is normally adjusted so that arm 54 engages it immediately after carriage l4 starts its forward movement.

When full len th slabs of bacon are to be sliced the stop collar 32 is positioned near end member 3 to allow carriage I4 to move back as far as possible to permit the slabs to be positioned between the carriage and the slicing blade. Cam plate 56 is positioned so that its rear end is just slightl forward of arm 54 when carriage I4 is in its rearmost position. If the bacon slabs are short, stop collar 32 is moved forwardly to shorten the length of travel of carriage l4, and cam plate 56 is moved forwardly so that its rear end is slightly forward of arm 54 when the carriage is in its new rearmost position. End member 4 is provided with a plurality of spring pressed fingers 53 suitably mounted in a bracket 60 which serve to hold down the end of the slab of bacon adjacent the slicer blade 8. A conventional conveyor 6| carries the slices of bacon away from the slicer blade.

Although the present invention has been described with specific reference to a bacon slicing machine, it will be obvious that the means to control the length of travel of the movable carriage may be used in connection with other machines of similar nature. The description, while limited to a preferred embodiment of the invention, is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details may be modified or changed without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact structure described.

I claim:

1. In a meat slicing machine, a rod, a recipro cable carriage engaging said rod, hydraulic means for reciprocating said carriage, a rotary valve for controlling the direction of movement of said carriage, a lever secured to said rod, said lever engaging said valve and actuated by longitudinal movement of said rod to trip said valve in opposite directions, a pair of stop collars mounted on said rod, said carriage engaging each of said collars as it moves in opposite directions, thereby moving said rod and tripping said valve to reverse the direction of movement of said carriage, one portion of said rod being provided with a series of ratchet teeth on its periphery, one of said stop collars engaging said teeth, and means on said one collar for releasably holding said collar in engagement with said teeth whereby the position of said one collar may be adjusted longitudinally relative to said rod.

2. In a meat slicing machine, a rod, a reciprocable carriage engaging said rod, hydraulic means for reciprocating said carriage, a rotary valve for controlling the direction of movement of said carriage, a lever secured to said rod, said lever engaging said valve and actuated by longitudinal movement of said rod to trip said valve in opposite directions, a pair of stop collars mounted on said rod, said carriage engaging each of said collars as it moves in opposite directions, thereby moving said rod and tripping said valve to reverse the direction of movement of said carriage, one portion of said rod being provided with a series of ratchet teeth on its periphery, one of said stop collars engaging said teeth, and a spring pressed pawl mounted on one of said stop collars, said pawl being movable transversely of said collar into engagement with said teeth to releasably hold said collar in longitudinal position relative to said rod.

3. In a meat slicing machine, a rod provided with a series of ratchet teeth on the periphery of one portion thereof, a reciprocable carriage extending into close proximity to said rod, means for reciprocating said carriage, stop means adjacent one end of said rod limiting the movement of said carriage in one direction, a stop collar mounted on the ratchet portion of said rod, a releasable spring pressed pawl mounted in said stop collar and movable transversely thereof to engage said teeth to hold said collar in longitudinally adjusted position relative to said rod, said carriage engaging said stop collar to move said rod at the end or the movement of said carriage in the opposite direction, and means on said rod operable when said rod is moved to cooperate with said means for reciprocating said carriage to reverse the direction of movement of said carriage.

4. In a meat slicing machine, a rod provided with a series of ratchet teeth on the periphery of one portion thereof, a reciprocable carriage extending into close proximity to said rod, means for reciprocating said carriage, stop means adjacent one end of said rod limiting the movement of said carriage in one direction, a stop collar mounted on the ratchet portion of said rod, a spring pressed pawl mounted in said stop collar and movable transversely thereof to engage said teeth tohold said collar in longitudinally adjusted position relative to said rod, said stop collar being movable in one direction longitudinally of said rod by lateral pressure applied against said collar, a handle for manually releasing said pawl to move said collar in the opposite direction, said collar being operable when engaged by said carriage to move said rod longitudinally, and means on said rod operable upon longitudinal movement of said rod to cooperate with said means for reciprocating said carriage to reverse the direction of movement of said carriage.

5. In a meat slicing machine, a reciprocable carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage, a rod engagedby said carriage, stop means substantially fixed "adjacent one end of said rod to limit the movementof said carriage in one direction, a stop collar mounted on said rod on the opposite side of said carriage to limit the movement of the carriage in the opposite direction, and spring pressed means for securing said stop collar in longitudinally adjusted position relative to said rod.

6. Ina meat slicing machine, a rod having a series of ratchet teeth on the periphery thereof, a reciprocable carriage extending in close proximity to said rod, a hydraulic system operable to reciprocate said carriage, a valve controlling the direction of flow of fluid through said hydraulic system, a projection on said valve, a lever secured to said rod and engageable with said projection, said lever being actuated by longitudinal movement of said rod to reverse said valve, and a stop collar engaging said ratchet teeth, said stop collar being adjustable relative to said rod, said stop collar being engaged by said carriage tomove said rod longitudinally to thereby cause said lever to reverse said valve.

7. In a meat slicing machine, a rod having a series of ratchet teeth on the periphery thereof, a reciprocable carriage extending in close proximity to said rod, a hydraulic system operable to reciprocate said carriage, a valve controlling the direction of flow of fluid through said hydraulic system, a projection on said valve, a lever secured to said rod and engageable With said projection,

said lever being actuated by longitudinal movement of said rod to reverse said valve, a stop collar mounted on said rod, and a spring pressed pawl secured to said collar and movable transversely of said collar into engagement with said ratchet teeth to hold said stop collar in longitudinally adjusted position relative to said rod, said stop collar being engaged by said carriage to move said rod longitudinally to actuate said lever to reverse said valve.

8. In a meat slicing machine, a reciprocable carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage, a plurality of gripping prongs pivoted relative to said carriage, an arm operatively connected to said gripping prongs, a plate secured to said machine, said arm'being engaged by said plate during the movement of said carriage in one direction and moved thereby to move said gripping prongs downwardly, and means to adjust the position ofsaid plate relative to said machine to fix the position at which said gripping prongs are moved downwardly.

. 9. In a meat slicing machine, a reciprocable carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage, a plurality of gripping fingers mounted on a shaft journaled in said carriage, an arm fixed to said shaft, a plate secured to said machine, said plate engaging said arm to move it during the movement of said carriage in one direction, said arm projecting from said shaft in such manner that movement of the arm by said plate causes said gripping prongs to be moved downwardly, and means for adjusting the position of said plate relative to said machine to predetermine the position within the path of travel of said carriage at which said gripping prongs are moved downwardly.

10. In a meat slicing machine, a rod, a pair of stop collars on said rod, 2. spring pressed pawl mounted in one of said stop collars to hold it in position relative to said rod, said pawl being operable to adjust the position of said one stop collar longitudinally relative to said rod, 2. reciprocable carriage mounted on said machine and engageable with said stop collars, means for reciprocating said carriage within limits determined by the longitudinal distance between said stop collars, a plurality of gripping prongs mounted on a shaft journaled in said carriage, an arm fixed to said shaft and projecting therefrom, and a plate mounted on said machine, said arm being engaged and moved by said plate during the movement of said carriage in one direction to move said gripping prongs downwardly, said plate being adjustable longitudinally of said machine to predetermine the longitudinal position of the carriage at which said gripping prongs are moved downwardly.

11. In a meat slicing machine, a slicing blade, a reciprocable carriage operableto push a slab of meat into engagement with said slicing blade, means to reciprocate said carriage, a rod, a pair of stop means mounted on said rod for limiting the travel of said carriage, means for adjustably holding one of said stop means relative to said rod whereby the travel of said carriage may be regulated in accordance with the length of the slab of meat to be sliced, a plurality of prongs carried by said carriage, an arm operatively con-- nected to said prongs, and a plate adjustably secured to said machine and engaged by said arm at a predetermined point in the travel of said carriage in one direction, said arm being operable when engaged by said plate to move said prongs into gripping engagement with a slab of meat positioned forwardly of said carriage.

ORLANDO GARAPOLO.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 3 16,190 Bryan July 17, 1886 1,544,339 Oderman June 30, 1925 1,711,079 Bath Apr. 30, 1929 1,728,843 Trinz Sept. 17, 1929 1,907,521 Van Berkel May 9, 1933 2,096,212 Theurer -i- Oct. 19, 1937 

